1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to in-mold coated articles for use in, for example, residential, commercial, industrial, and/or military products in any one of a number of industries, including, but not limited to, aerospace, automotive, construction, furniture, health care, and/or marine industries—just to name a few. More particularly, the present invention relates to in-mold coated articles which are prepared in association with cationic-stabilized dispersions, such as, for example, cationic-stabilized polyurethane dispersions, cationic-stabilized acrylic dispersions, cationic-stabilized polyacrylamides, cationic-stabilized polyallylamines, cationic-stabilized polyetheramines, cationic-stabilized chitosans and/or combinations thereof.
2. Background Art
In-mold coated articles and associated technology have been known in the art for several years. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,596 entitled “Decorative Automotive Interior Trim Articles with Cast Integral Light Stable Covering and Process for Making the Same,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,788 entitled “Dual Cure, In-Mold Process for Manufacturing Abrasion Resistant, Coated Thermoplastic Articles,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,996 entitled “Method for Manufacturing Self-Supporting Synthetic Trim Parts and Thus Manufactured Trim Parts,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,032 entitled “Vehicle Interior Door Panel,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,688 entitled “Method for Forming Plastic Molded Panels with Inserts,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,738 entitled “Surface Layer of Interior Article,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,578 entitled “Radiation-Curable Coating for Thermoplastic Substrates,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,803 entitled “Method of Making a Molded Article of Methacrylic Resin,” U.S. Pat. No. 3,248,467 entitled “Molding Process,” U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0104168 A1 entitled “In-Mold-Coated Automotive Interior and Other Products, and Methods for Manufacturing Same,” European Patent Application No. 1,079,962 B1 entitled “Decorative Automotive Interior Trim Articles with Integral In-Mold Coated Polyurethane Aromatic Elastomer Covering and Process for Making the Same,” and International Publication No. WO 99/61216 entitled “Decorative Automotive Interior Trim Articles with Integral In-Mold Coated Polyurethane Aromatic Elastomer Covering and Process for Making the Same,” all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety—including all references cited therein.
Furthermore, cationic stabilized dispersions are likewise known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,125 entitled “Cationic Polyurethane Dispersion and Composition Containing Same,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,998 entitled “Stable Aqueous Polyurethane Dispersions,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,919 entitled “Water-Based Sulfonated Polymer Compositions,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,518 entitled “Aqueous Two-Component Polyurethane Coating Compositions and a Method for Their Preparation,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,867 entitled “Aqueous Dispersion of an Aqueous Hydrazine-Terminated Polyurethane,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,291 entitled “Cationic Polyurethane Compositions, Quaternary Ammonium Salts and Methods for Their Preparation,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,344 entitled “Water-Based Adhesive Formulation Having Enhanced Characteristics,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,381 entitled “Aqueous Dispersions of a Nonionic, Water Dispersible Polyurethane Having Pendent Polyoxyethylene Chains,” U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0105411 A1 entitled “Aqueous Non-Ionic Hydrophilic Polyurethane Dispersions, and a Continuous Process of Making the Same,” and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0182187 A1 entitled “Polyurethane Dispersions and Coatings Made Therefrom”—all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety—including all references cited therein.
While the utilization of in-mold coated articles has become increasingly popular in several industries, to the best of Applicant's knowledge, cationic stabilized dispersions and certain embodiments thereof, have not been used to provide robust in-mold coated articles. Indeed, historically the field of in-mold coatings for polyurethane substrates, and other substrates, has been dominated by waterborne coatings that are anionically (containing carboxyl functionality neutralized with an amine and stable at basic pH or non-ionically (pH-independent hydrophilic groups in the backbone) stabilized.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, among other objects, to provide novel and robust in-mold coated articles which are prepared in association with cationic-stabilized dispersions. It is also an object of the present invention to provide methods for manufacturing such novel in-mold articles in a repeatable manner.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.